French Actress Strips During Award Ceremony... "Give Back the Art"

Actor Corinne Masiero (left) protesting against the government's theater closure measures

[Asia Economy Reporter Nah Han-ah] At the C?sar Awards ceremony, known as the "French Oscars," a female actress staged a nude protest against the government's theater closure measures for COVID-19 prevention.

According to BBC and other outlets on the 13th (local time), at the Paris C?sar Awards ceremony held under social distancing the previous day, French actress Corinne Masiero (57) appeared as the presenter for the Best Costume Design award.

Wearing a blood-stained dress and a donkey costume over it, she suddenly took off her clothes on stage, surprising the attendees.

On her abdomen was written in English, "No culture, no future," and on her back, in French, a message directly targeting French Prime Minister Jean Castex: "Give us back art, Jean."

Masiero was not the only one protesting the government's theater closure measures at the ceremony that day.

Actor and director St?phane Demoustier, upon receiving the Best Screenplay award, pointed out, "My children can go to Zara (fast fashion brand), but they cannot go to theaters. This is an incomprehensible measure."

Earlier, the French government had closed theaters from October last year as part of COVID-19 response measures.

In response, in December of the same year, hundreds of French actors, directors, critics, and musicians gathered across the country, including Paris, to protest the government's closure of cultural and artistic performance venues.

Additionally, AFP reported that due to frustration over the prolonged government theater closures, a tense political atmosphere prevailed at the annual C?sar Awards film festival.

Meanwhile, unlike the Cannes Film Festival, the C?sar Awards, established in 1976, is the largest festival mainly awarding outstanding French films annually by French filmmakers, and is called the "French Oscars."

Last year, the film "An Officer and a Spy" by veteran director Roman Polanski, who has a history of sexual offenses, was nominated in 12 categories including Best Film and Best Director, leading to boycott movements of Polanski's film and the C?sar Awards ceremony, mainly by women's groups.

Ultimately, director Polanski and the cast and crew did not attend the ceremony, and "An Officer and a Spy" only won Best Director and Best Costume Design awards.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.